Nigeria has resolved to formulate plans to develop a National Leather Product Policy to boost its Gross Domestic Product.The Permanent Secretary, Nigeria’s Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Bitrus Nabasu, said at the graduation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) trainees from Borno State and trained by the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST), Zaria in collaboration with the UNDP.

Nabasu said the policy would checkmate certain operations and regulate stakeholders’ activities within the industry.

He disclosed that leather and leather products’ transaction are estimated to have increased in excess of $1.2 billion for footwear and almost $500 million for other finished leather products.

He said that currently, 90 percent of the benefit from the sector goes to foreign countries, while the country benefits only 10 percent.

“Ministry of Science and Technology and NILEST is making frantic efforts to reverse the ugly trend of huge capital flight by putting together, first ever stand alone national leather policy in Nigeria.

“The leather industry forms one of the vibrant sectors in national economic development, contributing enormously to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country,” Nabasu said.

The Acting Director General of NILEST, Mrs. Eucharia Opara, said the training was the first of its kind as the trainees were camped for 6 months for effective coaching and mentoring.

She said the training was 80 percent practical and hands-on, adding that the graduands were well equipped on leather products manufacturing.

“Nigeria can be great through the encouragement of indigenous technology. This training is a boost to unlocking the enormous potential existing in the leather sector for the benefit of this country.

“Nigerians are generally known to be entrepreneurial, mobile and ambitious and with support from international organisations like EU and UNDP, in no distance time, Nigerian leather brand will compete favourably with Italian brands,” Opara said.